Purple Prickly Pear

Posted June 4, 2009 10:33 am & filed under Photography.

The highly variable, reliably blooming, very popular Opuntia violacea.

I wonder what the Dep’t of Ag has to say about it.

Genus: Opuntia
Family: Cactaceae
Nomen number: 420186
Place of publication: W. H. Emory, Not. milit. reconn. 157, fig. 8. 1848
Comment: nom. provis.? Engelm.: “I must consider it as a distinct species to which I would give the name of O. violacea.” and “my descriptions … and the names given by me, must remain doubtful till we are able to obtain some more data …”

References:
* Anderson, E. F. 2001. The cactus family. (Cact Fam) 506.
* Benson, L. 1982. The cacti of the United States and Canada. (Cact US Can).
* Hunt, D. 1999. CITES Cactaceae checklist, ed. 2. (CITES Cact L ed2)
* Irish, M. 2001. The ornamental prickly pear industry in the southwestern United States. Florida Entomol. 84:484. [accepts].

Arggh.